Pressure-regulator and cut-off



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

0. J. McGA-NN. PRESSURE REGULATOR AND CUT-OPP.

Patented Apr. 8, 1888.

@/H2o ww QDflmaowo 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

0. J. McGANN. PRESSURE REGULATOR AND OUT-OFF.

Patented Apr. 3, 1888.

N. PETERS. Fhmblmx a k. Washington a c FETCH...

PATENT Ol/VEN J. MOGANN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

PRESSURE-REGULATOR AND CUT-OFF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380.444. dated April 3, 3.888.

Application filed November 16, 1887. Serial No. 255,343. (No modelJ To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OWEN J. MGGANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pressure Regulators and Gut-0ffs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in pressure-regulators and cutoffs, of which improvement the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a horizontal section of an apparatus embodying my invention, taken upon a plane represented by the line :0 w of Fig. 2. Fig. 1 represents in detail a section upon the line 3 y of Fig. 1. Fig. 2 represents a central vertical section through the pressure-regulator on the linez z of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents in side elevation the leverage system intermediate between the movable abutment and the rotary valve-stem. Fig. 4 represents a detail crosssection on a plane indicated by the line it w of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 represents a detail section upon a planeindicated by the line 1) v of Fig. 1. My present invention is an improvement upon that for which Letters Patent of the United States No. 360,607 were granted to me under date of April 5, 1887 and its objects are to increase the efiiciency, strength, and durability of the cut-off valve and its operating mechanism; to obviate liability of rupture of the movable abutment upon the establishment of connection with the high-pressure main; to provide for the escape from the pressure-chamber of any gas that may enter it when the regulator isout of use; to prevent opening of the cut-off in starting the apparatus until all the vents or burners in the low-pressure main are shut off or leakages therein repaired; and, in general, to effect these several purposes, as will hereinafter appear,by a simple and economical construction of parts, readily manipulated and easily accessible for adjustment or repairs.

In-the drawings, wherein similar letters of reference represent similar parts, 1 indicates a stop-cock casing communicating at its end 2 with the high-pressure main and provided at its opposite end with a rotary valve, as shown, governing the delivery of the gas or other fluid to the passage 4 of the elbow-joint 5, said passage being constantly in communication by the coupling end 6 with the lowpressure main and by openings 7 T or the like with the pressure-chamber 8.

The rotary valve is located at the deliveryside of the valve-seat and is provided with a stem, 9, having an adjustable conical bearing, 10, stepped in the valve-stem, this arrangement, as explained in my patent above re ferred to, opposing comparatively little frictional resistance to the rotation of the valve, and hence permitting it to be operated with case, although the pressure from the supply may be considerable.

The valve itself consists of a conical shell, which may be truncated, as shown, and is accurately fitted within a correspondinglyshaped conical seat, 12, communicating by a series of tapering slots, 13, with the hollow interior of the stop-cock casing l. The valve is provided with a similar number of slots, 14, communicating with its interior and registering with those of the valve-scat, so as to open or close the latter, according to the direction of rotation of the valve. The valve is furthermore provided with additional openings, 15, communicating with the passage 4, so as to permit the entrance of the fluid into the delivery main when the stop-cock governing the high-pressure main is open and the rotary valveopenings 14 wholly or partially coincide with the openings 13 of the valve-casin I find this form of valve particularly serviceable in my apparatus, inasmuch as abrasion or wear between the opposing surfaces of the rotary valve and its casing tends to secure a more perfect and intimate fit between the two.

To the valve-stem 9 is secured by an adj usting set-screw, 16, a collar, 17, provided with a lever-arm, 18, pivotally connected to a link, 19, which is pivotally connected at its other end to one extremity of a lever, 20, provided with a boss turning in conical bearings within the partition 21. The long end of the lever 20 is forked or yoked at its outer end, 22, and

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said yoke is connected by suitable lugs with a sleeve, 23, adapted to reciprocate upon a guide-tube, 24, within the pressure-chamber 8, and connected to the movable abutment, as will hereinafter more fully appear. By means of this construction ofparts the long and short arms of the lever 20 oscillate, respectively, on opposite sides of the partition 21. There is thus substantially no leakage at the leverfulcrum, so that the supply of gas to the pressure-chamber takes place wholly by the apertures 7 7 in the partitions, and need not be in excess of that absolutely necessary to the working of the apparatus as determined by practice.

By the compound'leverage system, with a given rise of the movable abutment and the long arm of the lever 20, I am enabled to secure a correspondingly greater rotation of the valvestem, thereby enabling me to arrange the parts of the apparatus more compactly than would otherwise be the case.

The pressure-chamber 8 is composed of a chamber suitably supported and provided with an annular flange, 25. Surmounting this flange is an annulus or ring, 26, between which and the said flange is adapted to be secured, by

screws 27, or their equivalents, the outer edge ofa flexible diaphragm, 30, of gas-proof material forming a portion of the movable abutment. Upon the ring 26 is located an annular flange, 28, integral with the cap-piece 29, which forms the upper portion of the pressurechamber. This cap-piece is separated from the compartment 8, as is usual in regulatorsof this kind, by the flexible diaphragm 30, and at its summit is provided with a threaded opening, 31, from which any gas entering the said cap may be led off. The flange 28 of the cap-piece is secured to the annulus 26, and consequently to the compartment 8, by screws 32, or their equivalents, this construction enabling me to remove the cap-piece and increase or diminish the weight upon the flexible diaphragm or adjustits regulating-spring, as the case may be, without loosening the diaphragm itself.

The diaphragm is normally held in its lowermost position (indicated in Fig. 2) when the apparatus is not in use by means of a suitable weight or a spring. As illustrated in the drawings, I can conveniently secure this result by superimposing upon the flexible 'dia phragm 'a disk, 33, of appropriate size and weight, adapted to the pressure at which the apparatus is to work, and upon which, should occasion require, other weights may be placed by removing the cap-piece 29, as above indicated.

The guide-tube 24 extends, together with its sleeve 23, upwardly through the center of the movable abutment. Upon the end of the guide-tube 24 rests the spring 'seated valve 34, having a stem passing through the top of a cap, 35, upon which the spring is seated, said cap being perforated at 36, as shown, and beupon the top of the guide-tube 24, in the lowermost position ofthe movable abutment, communication willbe afforded between the interior of the guide-tube and the casing 29, where by any gas entering at the aperture 37 of the guide-tube shall have a free means of exit through the opening 31. The opening 37 in theguide-tubeis provided with a closing-valve, 38, having a stem, 39, passing through the side of the pressure-chamber 8, and connected by a flexible joint to the outer end of a handlever, 40, fulcrumed to a projection, 41, and having at its opposite end ahand-grasp, 42, for operating it. A spring, 43, encircles the outer end of the valve-stem 39, and is interposed between the side of the casing and the fixed end of said valve-stem, thereby normally holding the valve 38 from its seat.

In the wall of the pressurechamber 8 is formed at 44 a port, communicating by means of a bypass pipe, 45,with the three-way stopcock plug 46 of the high-pressure main. The port 44 is normally closed by the conical plug 47, connected by a flexible joint to the lever 40, as shown.

The parts being constructed and arranged as described, the operation of my invention is as follows: Before the admission of the gas or other fluid from the high-pressure main to the delivery-main the stop-cock plug 46 is in such 'position that the bypass inlet 48 communicates with the bypass pipe 45 and with the high pressure main, communication at the same time being cut off between the highpressure main and the delivery-main and regulator. Whennow the apparatus is to be started, the handle 42 is pulled downwardly, thereby closing the opening 37 ofthe guide-tube 24,and at the same time admitting a small supply of gas through the by-pass pipe 45 and inlet 44 into the compartment 8. If thelo'w-pressure main. is intact and the burners connected therewith closed, the gas admitted through the inlet 44 will gradually raise the movable abutment. In its upward course the sleeve 23, sliding upon the guide-tube with the movable abutment, will encounter the valve 34, the upper end of the sleeve affording a seat for the main body of said valve. Should the movable abutment not rise upon the opening of the inlet-port 44, it will be apparent to the operator that there is a vent or leak in thelow-pressure main, and he will be obliged to locate and IIO close said vent before the operation can conber at the top of the cap-piece 29, the mova-' ble abutment attaining therebyits highest position. During the upward movement ofthe movable abutment the valve-stem 9 is rotated through the intermediacy of the leverage system described until the abutment reaches the highest position,whereupon the ports of therotary valve are closed. The hand-pull 42 is now released and the stopcock plug is turned to the position shown in Fig.1. \Vhen, now, a burner is turned on in the low-pressure main. the pressure in such main is lowered and the movable abutment begins to sink, thereby partially opening the rotary valve and partially opening communication with the highpressure main. The movable abutment being in its substantially highest position, as described, the influx of the highpressure gas will have no tendency to burst or rupture the flexible diaphragm, as is liable to happen in regulators which establish communication with the high-pressure main before said flexible diaphragm is raised.

Theweightimposed upon the movable abutment is so chosen and adjusted as to cause the latter in sinking to finally balance within the chamber 8 to correspond with the desired pressure in the low-pressure main, said pressure being dependent upon the amount of supply through the rotary valve.- It is evident therefore that an increase of pressure in the low-pressure main will cause the movable abutment to rise above its normal balance-plane, consequently correspondingly lessening the area of the passages through the rotary valve and diminishing the gas-supply, thereby reestablishing the normal pressure. Should the pressure now sink, the converse action takes place, the accompanying sinking of the movable abutment increasing the area of the passages through the rotary v alve and admitting the requisite additional volume of gas to bring the pressure up to the desired limit.

It is apparent that the pressure in the lowpressure main may be altered within wide limits by merely adding to or subtracting from the weight imposed upon the movable abutment. In case of a sudden drop of pressure in the high-pressure main, caused by a break in its conduit, the dropping of the abutment will close the rotary valve at once, and the apparatus cannot be started again by the handlever 42 until the break is repaired. It will be understood that, as in my former patent, the rotary valve is closed when the movable abutment is brought to either end or limit of its permitted movement.

When the apparatus is out of use and the movable abutment in its lowest position, any leakage from the rotary valve entering the pressure-chamber will have no tendency to cause the movable abutment to rise, for the reason that a free exit is afforded for any such leakage through the opening 37 and tube 24, openings 36,and openings 31 to the'external air. The apparatus cannot therefore be set in operation accidentally by leakage from the rotary valve. lVhcn the movable abutment is in a raised position and the valve 34: rests upon the conical seat provided for it at the upper portion of the sleeve 23, any extraordinary sudden pressure, which from any cause may arise in the compartment 8, and which would otherwise have a tendency to rupture the flexible diaphragm, will be relieved by the gas forcing the valve from its seat and escaping through the openings 36 and 31.

In view of what has been said it will be noted as characteristic of my invention that the rotary cut-off cannot be operated to start the apparatus except when the stop-cock plug is in such position as to shut off communication between the high-pressure main and the supply side of said cut-off. Furthermore, that the movable abutment is raised to its highest working position by a gradually-increasing press ure of fluid acting upon it through a by-passpipe before the stop-cock plug is turned for the admission of the fluid in quantity from the high-pressure main, and thatprovision is made to guard against the start-ing of the apparatus in any other manner than by the fluid admitted through the bypass pipe, which, when the stop-cock is turned off, is always in readiness to start the apparatus. a

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination, with a pressure-regulator having a movable abutment and a cutoff governed thereby, of a plug or valve adapt-- ed to open or close communication between the higlrpressure main and eutbfi", and a normallyclosed bypass leading from the pressure-chamber of the regulator to the high-pressure main, whereby the movable abutment of the pressure-regulator may be raised to its highest position before the fluidfrom the highpressure main is admitted through said outoff, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a cut-off and pressure-regulator having a movable abutment and governing said cut-off, of a three-way cock interposed between the high-pressure main and the cut-off, and a bypass leading from the pressure-chamber of the regulator to the stopcock easing, whereby communication may be alternately established between the high-pressure main and cut-off and the high-pressure main and bypass, substantially as described.

3. In a pressure-regulator having a movable abutment, the combination, with a normallyvented pressure chamber and a normallyclosed auxiliary fluid-conduit for actuating the movable abutment, of simultaneously-operating valves for closing said vent and opening said conduit, substantially as described.

4:. In a pressure-regulator having a movable abutment and governing a cut-off, the oombination, with a normally-vented pressure-chamber, of a by pass leading therefrom to the high-pressure main and simultaneously operating valves for said vent and bypass, where by a vent is provided for the discharge of leakage from the cut-off, said vent being adapted to be closed upon the opening of the bypass, substantially as described.

5. In a pressure-regulator, the combination, with the pressure-chamber and movable abutment, of a Vent-tube opening above and below said abutment, said vent being adapted to be closed at the top by the raising of the abutment and at the bottom by a spring-seated valve normally open, substantially as described.

6. In a pressure-regulator, the combination, with the lower compartment thereof provided with a vertical vent-tube, of a sleeve adapted to move on said venttube and connected with the movable abutment, and a valve having an angular stem resting upon the vent-tube, the

valve-face being located in the line of movement of the sleeve, whereby on the raising of the movable abutment the top vent of the tube will be closed, substantially as described.

7. In a pressureregulator, the combination, with the lower compartment thereof provided with a vertical vent-tube, of a sleeve moving thereon and connected with the movable abutment, said sleeve having at its up er end a valve-seat, a valve having an angular stem resting upon the end of the vent-tube, a cappiece inclosing the valve and sleeve, and a spring for pressing the valve downward, substantially as described.

8. In a pressure-regulator, the combination, with the lower compartment, of the flexible diaphragm, an annulus for clamping the edges of the flexiblediaphragm to said compartment, and a cap-piece separately secured to said annulus, substantially as described.

9. In a pressure-regulator, the combination, with the movable abutment and the rotary valvestem, of a sleeve attached to the valvestem and having an arm projecting therefrom, a link connected with the outer end of said arm, and a lever having its short arm connected with said link and its long arm connected with the movable abutment andfulcrumed in a partition between the pressurechamber and cut ofi', substantially as described.

10. In a pressure-regulator, the rotary cutoff described, consisting of a hollow conical valve located at the delivery side thereof, and provided with a stem sustained as against the gas-pressure from a centrally-located bearingpoint whereon the end of the stem is arranged to turn, said valve having a series of side inlet-openings and eXit-ports adjacent to the stem, and a conical seat having side openings adapted to register with the inlet-openings of the valve, substantially as described.

11. In a pressureregulator having a movable abutment, the combination, with a normally-vented pressure-chamber and a normally-closed fluid-conduit for actuating the movable abutment, of a valve for opening said conduit and a valve for closing said vent, the latter valve being provided with a hand-operated stem for closing it, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OWEN J. MCGANN.

\Vitnesses:

FELIX K. SULLIVAN, GEORGE E. SAvILLE. 

